Bootjack



No. 609,603. Patented Aug. 23, I898. I. A. YOUNGBERG & J. 0. NORD.

BOOTJAGK.

(Application filed Dec. 4, 1897.)

(No Mode'l.)

summon, u. 0.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IDOLF AXEL YOUNGBERG AND JOHN OSCAR NORD, OF ISHPEMING, MICHIGAN.

BOOTJACK.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 609,603, dated August 23, 1898. Application filed December 4, 1897. Serial No. 660,746. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, IDOLF AXEL YOUNG- BERG and JOHN OSCAR NORD, residing at Ishpemin g, in the county of Marquette and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Bootjack, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is in the nature of an improved boot and shoe clamp or jack; and it has for its object to provide a device of this character of a very simple and economical construction which can be easily manipulated and which will effectively'serve for its intended purposes.

Our invention also comprehends a clamping means capable of being quickly adjusted to clamp shoes or boots of difierent sizes and hold the same in a convenient position to admit of a ready removal therefrom without requiring the user to assume a bending or stooping position or engage the clamp device proper with the hands or the free foot.

The invention consists of a boot or shoe removing means embodying the peculiar construction and novel arrangement of parts, such as will be first described in detail, and then specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating our invention as applied for use. Fig. 2 is a detail cross-section taken practically on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detail section of the heel-stop hereinafter particularly referred to.

In its practical construction our improvement comprises a base-block or foot-rest 1, preferably of wood, having its top or rest portion inclined upward from the heel to the toe end for the more convenient setting of the foot thereon. This base-block may be of any width and, if desired, provided with a bottom flange 1, whereby it can be conveniently secured to the floor.

The rest-block 1 has a transverse recess 2, in which is held the transversely-disposed scissors-clamp 3, consisting of the stout springmetal curved grip ends 3, pivotally joined at 3* and terminating in pendent members 3, which are connected by means of pivotal links 4: with a pull-rod or crank-arm 5, projected into the recess 1 and connected to or formed integrally with a bell-crank 6, pivoted at 6 to one side of the rest-block 1, the lower or long arm 6 of which is pivotally joined to the link 7, which in turn is pivotally connected to the lower end of the operating-lever 8, pivoted at 8 to the side of the rest-block and having its upper end extended as ahandle member projecting within convenient reach of the user.

9 indicates a second bell-crank lever, one end of which extends above thetop of the rest-block, which bends over the same and terminates in a heel-clamp 9,while the other end projects forward and is pivotally connected to the link-arm 10, pivotally joined at its lower forward end, as at 10, to the lower end of the lever 8.

At a point intermediate the bell-crank 9 and the crank device 3 is what we term a heel-stopfi which consists of a block 11,having its upper face inclined rearwardly upward over the top of the rest-block 1 and terminating in an abrupt straight edge 11. This stop is hung on a pivot 12,passed transversely through the block, and rests in a socket or recess l ,its rear end being held normally above the upper edge of the block 1 by the spring.

13, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The manner in which our improvement is operated is as follows: When it is desired to remove the shoe or boot, the user rests the heel on the block 1 in front of the stop 11 and pushes backward until the front edge of the heel passes over the said stop, when it (the stop) will fly up in front of the heel and serve to hold the foot from being slid forward, it being understood that as the foot is put down on the rest 1 the toe end will pass between the grip ends 3 of the clamp 3,which will close over the sides of the foot and hold it and the shoe from pulling up under ordinary lift pull. After the foot is thus set in position the user pulls the lever 8 in a direction indicated by the arrow 15, and the movement of such lever simultaneously pulls the members 7 and 10 in a forward direction. The member 7, rocking the lever 6 from its upper end, pulls down the cross-bar 5, and in consequence, through the medium of the link 4, draws the scissors-clamp 3 inward, so that the upper ends thereof will tightly fit over the front end of the shoe, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, it being understood that the scissors-clamp has sufficient lateral play in the recess 2 to overcome the slight arc movement of the upper end of lever 6. During this operation the member 10 operates the lever 9 to cause the heel-clamp 9 to move over the heel of the boot or shoe, the aforesaid operation of the scissors-clamp and heel-engaging member effectin g a sufficient clamping action on the shoe or boot to admit of a ready withdrawal of the foot without pulling the boot or shoe from the clamps 3 9, it being also understood that the stop 11 will hold the shoe from being forced upward between the clamp ends 3, and thereby avoid the danger of scratching or otherwise mutilating the shoe by its engagement with such ends 3. Y A

By connecting the clamp devices 3 with the crank-arm 5 by links 4 the ends 3 will have ample free separation movement for the'entrance of the foot with the shoe or boot, as the said links 4 are pivotally joined to the members 3 and the arm 5 relatively at such angles as to admit of opening and closing the two members 3 3 without binding on the pivot-joint.

By arranging the several parts as shown it is obvious that the user can readily re- 7 move his shoe or boot without bending over to engage the clamp devices with his hands or by manipulating them with his free foot,

' as is necessary in the use of ordinary bootjacks, the lever-handle 8 in practice being extended within convenient reach of the user.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1'. A bootjaclgcom'prisinga foot-rest, clamp devices carried thereby to engage the front end of the foot and the heel, and means for simultaneously causing such devices to clamp the front and heel end of the boot, said means having an operating-lever extended within convenient reach of the user, as specified.

2. A bootjack, comprising a supportingbase, separate clamp devices for engaging the front, the toe end and the heel end of the boot, a stop for holding the foot frommoving forward between the toe-clamps and handoperated means for simultaneously moving the toe and heel clamps to an operative position as specified. Y

3. Animprovedbootjack,comprisingafootrest having a scissors -like clamp to engage the front end of the foot, a'pivotal-clamp adapted to move into engagement with the heel, a pivot-lever havinga hand portion extended within convenient reach of the user and connections between such lever and the shoe-clamps, substantially as shown and described, whereby the manipulation of such lever will simultaneously move such clamps to their shoe-engaging position substantially as set forth.

4E. The combination with the foot-rest, havin g a transverse slot or recess 2,and a spring-' actuated stop 11, at apoint adjacent said recess, of a scissors-like clamp 3, and the heelclamp 9, the bell-crank 6, links 10 and 7, and the hand-lever 8, all being arranged substantially as shown and described.

IDOLF AXEL YOUNGBERG. JOHN OSCAR .NORD. Witnesses:

ERICK MONSON, CHRIST. GHRISTIANSON. 

